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TWEET DU JOUR: In a case of “jam tomorrow,” the U.K.’s Department of International Trade is pursuing an interesting way to beat a Brexit downturn in trade, tweeting: “France needs high quality, innovative British jams & marmalades #EXportingisGREAT #ExportOpps.” http://politi.co/2dnfMCM

Side bar: The phrase “jam tomorrow” was first coined by Lewis Carroll and memorably used by the formidable Socialist Barbara Castle, the woman most likely to lead Britain until Thatcher’s rise. Castle was a lifelong opponent of the EU and yet Labour’s leader in the European Parliament for 10 years, and would have turned 106 this week.

LIVESTREAM OF THE DAY: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will address a German Marshall Fund event at 1 p.m. Brussels time: http://bit.ly/2dneUyP

SAVING THE PLANET ONE TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT AT A TIME: The EU this morning starts a 48-hour race against the clock to keep the finalization of its signature climate policy achievement — ratification of the Paris climate deal — from turning into a carbon-spewing faux pas.

The goal: Get the ratification documents into Ban Ki-moon’s hands before he jets out of Brussels on Thursday morning. The price if they fail: flying Miguel Arias Cañete, and up to eight ministers and their advisers to New York to hand the U.N. the same sheet of paper saying they intend to cut carbon emissions. Playbook’s story here: http://politi.co/2dnfSua

**A message from the EPP Group: Without the EU’s strong position on the climate, the Paris Agreement would never have happened. To remain a leader on climate protection, EU member states should stick to the agreed ambitious goals and swiftly implement the agreement. Today, with the ratification by the EP, the EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber will call on EU countries not to waste any more time.**

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW — WITH JOSEPH MUSCAT, PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA: Malta, one of the EU’s smallest countries, takes the reins of the EU’s rotating presidency in January. That puts the country’s leader, Joseph Muscat, in the Brexit hot seat. Playbook sat down with Muscat in his grand offices in Valletta to talk Brexit, migration, the Maltese presidency and more. The write-up is here: http://politi.co/2cMjszB, highlights below.

For Brexit, read Greek bailout: “Expect the format to be more or less like what happened with Greece,” Muscat said. The EU will play hardball and leaders will give the Commission latitude to press the case.

No cake for you Theresa: “Any deal has to be a fair deal, but an inferior deal,” Muscat said. “Even the most pro-U.K. countries … say you cannot have your cake and eat it.”

No divide and conquer: Muscat said the U.K. government wants to negotiate single issues sequentially. “That is unacceptable to most member states. They want the single market and freedom of movement to be tackled together.” He added Malta’s position is that “the four freedoms cannot be decoupled” from each other in the process.

Michel Barnier and Guy Verhofstadt must be taken seriously: “The Council does not want to get involved daily … The Commission will lead the negotiating,” and Verhofstadt’s appointment “sends a very clear political signal” that MEPs will not be messed with by the U.K government.

Malta’s presidency: The Valletta summit on February 3 is “not dependent on the Brits.” On wider policy issues: “We know the limitations [imposed by Brexit].” So Malta plans to focus on as few “mostly unglamorous and obscure dossiers” as possible, with a focus on social justice and highlighting that the Mediterranean “brings not just problems and migration to the EU, but access to the biggest potential market in the world,” — Africa.

On team Juncker: “This Commission is much more sensible than the Barroso one.”

On being tiny Malta at EU summits: “I don’t have an inferiority complex. If you have something meaningful to say, you might carry the day.”

On Jeremy Corbyn’s rise in the UK: “It’s a delusion. It’s very sad. We’re losing a generation of social democrats.” Muscat worked on Tony Blair’s 1997 campaign.

Pipe down, migrant-phobes: “What Central Europe experiences today, we experienced a decade ago. No one really noticed or cared.” Even today, “100 percent of our limited military capacity goes to search and rescue.” Muscat cautions Eastern Europeans against hardline refugee views: “If I close my eyes and replace ‘Syrians’ with ‘Eastern Europeans,’ what I hear about refugees is like hearing Le Pen or Lega Nord on Eastern Europeans.”

Why Malta is growing: “The real change was to stop being euro-centric and to make ourselves known in other places: Asia, the U.S., Gulf states. And that can mean controversies like the citizenship program.”

BREXIT — GUY VERHOFSTADT PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY: Parliament’s Brexit chief will hold his usual Strasbourg press conference at 10:50 a.m. He is expected to welcome Theresa May’s Article 50 timing, as it would allow Brexit negotiations to conclude before the 2019 European elections. He will also join other European leaders in rejecting Theresa May’s calls for pre-negotiation talks, and address some of his remarks to the 48 percent of Britons who voted remain in the EU.

EEAS — AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE: Starting today with the event “Empowered women, prosperous Afghanistan,” European Council President Donald Tusk, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica will host Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Indian Minister for External Affairs M.J. Akbar, as well as others, for a two-day conference about the future of Afghanistan. Details here: http://bit.ly/2dDsgET

COMMISSION — PATENT WAR LOOMS OVER EUROPE’S CROP DIVERSITY: The Commission is expected to issue an opinion this year to clarify ambiguities in EU law over the extent to which food products can be patented.The decision has led to a storm of lobbying from both industry groups and environmental campaigners, as smaller businesses report fearing that “agrichemical giants such as Monsanto and Syngenta will be able to monopolize varieties of staples like carrots and broccoli,” reports Simon Marks. More details here: http://politi.co/2cNMKsC

COUNCIL — GEORGIA ON HIS MIND: EU ambassadors will discuss visa liberalization for Georgia this Wednesday, and Peter Javorcik, Slovakia’s ambassador to the EU, looks quite happy about it in this tweet: http://bit.ly/2dNgJ65

PARLIAMENT — PITTELLA LAUNCHES BID TO CONTINUE AS LEADER OF SOCIALIST MEPs: Current S&D President Gianni Pittella is running for re-election and has circulated a 13-page strategy to socialist MEPs to prove he’s serious about it (read it here). Pittella told Playbook he had supporters from the Spanish, Romanian, British, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Cypriot, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian and Swedish delegations. Candidates have until October 21 to submit their nominations.

At least one Hungarian isn’t happy: Gyorgy Mudri, an assistant to MEP Tibor Szanyi, wrote back to all Socialist MEPs and assistants who received Pittella’s strategy paper: “Let’s go for more issues not related to the EU citizens!” http://politi.co/2cNRp2y

TODAY IN PARLIAMENT … MEPs debate a plan previously rejected by the Commission to hand free rail passes to young Europeans. German news service Tagesschau says giving every 18-year-old in Europe a free InterRail pass could cost €1.5 billion per year: http://bit.ly/2dMwYnV

Also, debates on Greek finances/reforms; commissioner conflicts of interest; the creation of a European public prosecutor; new limitations on the export of goods that could be used in torture or for capital punishment, negotiated by Dutch Liberal Marietje Schaake; new legal aid rules, negotiated by Dutch GUE/NGL Dennis de Jong.

YESTERDAY IN PARLIAMENT … Environment Committee MEPs rejected applications for approval to grow genetically modified maize and cotton in the EU. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs approved the EU Pact for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights. Harry Cooper http://politi.co/2cOpBq5

ECA — EU GOVERNMENTS NOT COMPLYING WITH STATE AID RULES: The European Court of Auditors in a new report out today says “almost 20 percent of cohesion policy projects with state aid relevance were affected by state aid errors” by governments not enforcing EU rules. http://bit.ly/1lgfAGJ

TRADE — AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR HINTS AT CANADA TRADE PACT BACKING, as long as investor-state dispute settlement is removed from the provisional application of the CETA deal. The Austrian Press Agency: http://bit.ly/2dFff1H

LOBBYING — OVER 100 FORMER MEMBERS OF US CONGRESS DO THE BIDDING OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS: Top of the bill is Former Rep. Connie Mack, who has earned more than $1.2 million since 2014 by representing Hungary’s government. Joseph J. Schatz and Benjamin Oreskes http://politi.co/2drrH1y

NETHERLANDS — BRACING FOR A SHARP RIGHT TURN: “One of Europe’s most liberal countries is on the brink of turning decisively to the right. Ahead of the elections in the Netherlands on March 15 next year, polls show a tight race between center-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his political foe Geert Wilders, a right-wing firebrand with staunch positions on Islam (ban the Quran), the EU (get out) and immigration (close all borders).” Tom-Jan Meeus: http://politi.co/2docBut

CZECH REPUBLIC — ELECTORAL STATE OF PLAY: After the collapse of the right-wing ODS party and the rise of ANO 2011, this week’s regional and senate elections could buck the historic trend, where the party in opposition tends to do well. This is the first time ANO is contesting local elections and also the first time the two main contenders are in coalition government together. More here in Czech: http://bit.ly/2d8TsdW

Social Democrats defending senate control: Social Democrats currently hold 33 of 81 senate seats. Miroslav Poche, an S&D MEP and campaign manager, says the party needs to keep at least seven of the 10 seats they are defending to remain the largest party. ANO, led by controversial media magnate Andrej Babiš, is their main opponent. ANO’s candidates include steeplechase jockey Josef Vana, former ballet dancer Vlastimil Harapes and penny-farthing bicyclist Josef Zimovčák.

Don’t listen to President Miloš Zeman, “He’s not representing the Czech Republic abroad,” said Petr Ježek, an ANO MEP complaining about Zeman’s weekend statement rejecting the place of economic migrants in Europe.

ESTONIA’S ENDLESS ELECTION OVER: Kersti Kaljulaid, formerly responsible for assessing how the EU spends money to preserve and manage natural resources at the European Court of Auditors, is the country’s new president. http://bit.ly/2dDNjqN

Playbook readers doubt referendum impact: Sixty-one percent of Playbook readers who responded to a Twitter poll on the subject said the referendum result would hurt Orbán’s power at EU summit tables. http://bit.ly/2dnisQF

FRANCE — HOLLANDE COULD BE SOCIALISTS’ SECOND CHOICE: Arnaud Montebourg, who announced Sunday he would run in the Socialist Party primaries in a bid to become French president, could beat current president, François Hollande, to become the party’s candidate, according to polling. http://politi.co/2dNERpv

UK CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE CORNER …

Europe unimpressed by May’s tough Brexit talk: Theresa May’s promise to her Conservative Party to deliver “a deal that works for Britain” won her a collective shrug across the EU. “The non-response from the European Commission in Brussels Monday was typical of the tone — a classic bureaucratic rejoinder by the EU machinery that made clear the U.K. could issue whatever wish list it wanted, but would dictate nothing.” David Herszenhorn and Tara Palmeri: http://politi.co/2dnjc8z

UK Chancellor Philip Hammond drops plan to balance the budget by 2020 due to Brexit “turbulence.” Homes and transport will be the British government’s new spending priorities. http://politi.co/2d8YO8T

UK — BREXIT STANDS TRIAL IN NORTHERN IRELAND: On Tuesday, Raymond McCord will appear in court to challenge the U.K. government’s move towards Brexit. “In 1997, his son, Raymond McCord junior, was murdered by the Ulster Volunteer Force. An investigation by the ombudsman found police had colluded with loyalist paramilitaries in over a dozen similar murders. But no officer has ever been charged in connection with these killings. McCord fears that if the U.K. leaves the EU he will no longer have access to the European Court of Human Rights. So he is taking the matter to the High Court in Belfast.” Peter Geoghegan: http://politi.co/2dFiaaW

BOSNIA — SERB SET TO BECOME MAYOR OF SREBRENICA: Mladen Grujicic, who is a Serb, is set to be Srebrenica’s mayor, just 21 years after Serbian forces massacred 7,000 of the town’s residents. http://bit.ly/2dy0vQB

Irish president says Donald Trump is a racist: Around 10 percent of the U.S. population has Irish roots. Two of the top five Irish cities in the U.S. by population are Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both in the state of Pennsylvania — a must-win for Trump. http://bit.ly/2dnik3x

Gary Johnson’s stumbles feel familiar in New Mexico: The Libertarian candidate’s gaffe-prone campaign for the U.S. presidency is familiar to those who knew him during his time as New Mexico governor. Robert Samuels http://wapo.st/2dzjbiR

BRUSSELS CORNER …

SEVERAL HUNDRED GATHER TO PROTEST POLAND’S ABORTION LAW: The group walked from the Schuman roundabout to the Poland representation to the EU at lunchtime on Monday, protesting plans to further restrict and criminalize abortion in Poland. A second gathering will take place in Brussels on Thursday October 13.

ING TO CUT 3,500 JOBS IN BELGIUM, with around the same number to be cut elsewhere, as part of an automation drive aimed at saving the bank €900 million a year by 2021. The press release: http://bit.ly/2drUZNz

APPOINTED: Urs Bucher is the new head of the Swiss mission to the EU. Anneli Pauli, a Finnish national and former top staffer in the Commission’s department for research and development, is now an adviser in the climate department. Pierre Heilbronn leaves French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry Michel Sapin’s office to become a new vice president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Neelie Kroes’ former adviser Sigrid Johannisse is now innovation counselor at the Dutch embassy in Washington D.C.

IRISH APPOINTMENT BONANZA: Gerard Kiely, from the Commission’s agriculture department, is the new head of the Commission’s representation in Dublin. Veronica Gaffey, also Irish, is now director in the Commission’s paymaster’s office. Richard More O’Ferrall is joining the European Ombudsman’s office, in charge of communication.

CHANGES AT OpenForum Europe (a think tank for openness in ICT). Click here for details and here for bios.

DIED:Philippe de Schoutheete, a former Belgian permanent representative to the EU, and more recently attached to Egmont Institute.

**A message from the EPP Group: No need to switch off your mobile phone when you go on holiday inside the European Union next summer. From 15 June 2017, as an EU citizen, you won’t be charged extra costs for the use of your mobile phone when you travel to another EU country — thanks to a determined and year-long campaign by EPP Group MEPs. Roaming charges have already come down by 92 percent since 2007 — now we are taking the final step. The European Commission has already put its proposal on the table and the EPP Group expects member states to back the definitive end of roaming charges. Pilar del Castillo MEP, the European Parliament Rapporteur on the subject, pointed out that the proposal also marks a big step forward for the Digital Single Market.**

**Join us for POLITICO PRO Transport Launch event “Smart Transport: Clean, Safe and Efficient” with Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport and Mobility. This event, presented by Qualcomm, is taking place on October 18 at the Residence Palace in Brussels. To find out more, visit our website.**